Serious Illness Inspires Two Childhood Friends to Design New Product

Creators Lesley Foreman and Jami Weiman have been close friends since they met at the age of 11 at junior high school in Wilmette, IL. Their own battles with ovarian cancer and Crohn’s disease were the impetus for creating the company Bwell 11™ with a mission of helping women feel comfortable, confident and stylish.

Two Chicago-area women battling serious illness have used their experiences as inspiration, creating a new product that helps women living with the marks of medical treatment cover those areas and gain confidence about their appearance. The new product, Bandtastik™, is a versatile accessory that can be worn in many ways to cover chest ports, surgical scars, pumps, pouches or other visible effects of ongoing or past medical treatment. The Bandtastik product is available for purchase as of July 2015 at bwell11.com.

The Bandtastik is the first in a line of products representing their “Coverage You Can Control” philosophy. Weiman describe their Bandtastik creation as “a chic swimwear separate that covers and controls areas that make you feel uncomfortable while allowing you to show off whatever you want.” The Bandtastik is designed for versatility and can be worn around the shoulder, bust, waist, neck or hips. Some of the Bandtastik coverage options include:

Worn over one shoulder to cover a chest port or pump

Stretched over the bust, following lumpectomy or mastectomy

Draped around the neck to cover a surgical scar or port

Foreman, A Northbrook Psychotherapist, was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer in October 2013. She underwent major surgery during Chicago’s brutal “polar vortex” winter. “I was so thin and it was so bitterly cold,” Foreman says. “I kept telling myself ‘I will survive this and I will be walking on a white sandy beach when I get better.’” Eight months later – after recovering from surgery and chemotherapy – she got her beach vacation, but felt incredibly vulnerable. “I had this giant port on the upper right side of my chest and just wanted to hide it, but I couldn’t.” After returning to Chicago, she and Weiman decided to focus on creating a product that could help women like them feel covered, confident and in control of their appearance.

The first of their designs, the Bandtastik is made of swimwear fabric and is locally manufactured. Bandtastik is available in six patterns and in three sizes. Bandtastik can be ordered through the bwell11 website; each Bandtastik is $40. Bwell 11’s second creation, the Bandiva™, was conceived as a stylish head wrap. The Bandiva sells for $55.

About Bwell 11, LLC

Bwell 11, LLC is an Illinois company built on the philosophy of “Coverage You Can Control.” Long-time friends Lesley Foreman and Jami Weiman founded Bwell 11 in 2014 to create products for women who have experienced serious illness. The company name, Bwell 11, celebrates both the age at which Foreman and Weiman first met (11) and their wish that they and others “be well.” Bwell 11 designs and markets chic, stylish swimwear separates that cover and conceal. The company’s first two products to market, Bandtastik and Bandiva, give you the freedom and confidence to control what you want to show off.